Central Asian (CA) languages present structural features that make them particularly challenging for English-speaking learners. Turkic (e.g., Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uyghur, Uzbek) and Mongolic languages (e.g., Mongolian) use head-final word order, resulting in Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) sentences and postpositions, unlike English. Iranian languages (e.g., Dari, Kurdish, Pashto, Tajiki) are head-final at the sentential level but behave like head-initial languages in certain noun and prepositional phrases, creating additional complexity. Phonological features such as vowel harmony in Turkic and Mongolic languages and split-ergativity in some Iranian languages further challenge learners and inform general theories of language acquisition. Rigorous research is therefore essential to develop effective teaching methods for these languages.
In the first stage of this project, researchers will identify the constructions most challenging for learners and test innovative teaching strategies, building on previous research on phonology with findings published in high-impact SLA journals (Özçelik & Sprouse, 2017; Özçelik, 2018). This work contributes both to understanding CA language learning and to broader language acquisition theory.
Then, researchers will expand this work by examining additional linguistic constructions, the effects of orthography, and the role of extensive reading in student learning. Because structurally similar CA languages often use different writing systems (e.g., Cyrillic for Tajiki, Perso-Arabic for Dari, Latin for Uzbek, Arabic for Uyghur), this research provides unique insights into variables that are difficult to study in European languages (Özçelik & Sprouse, 2016, ‘Deep Orthography Hypothesis’).
This work will be conducted under the supervision of Professor Rex A. Sprouse (SLS), in collaboration with Professor Öner Özçelik (CEUS), and a CEUS graduate research assistant.